diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps.go
index ff6994e0..587261ae 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func (ix *Indexer) SeedModulesFrom(ctx context.Context, defs map[string]seatdef.
 			name := artifactName(a.Ref)
 			sa := SeedArtifact{Name: name, Seat: seat}
 			in := nodebuildgo.StepsInput{Module: e.Module, Artifact: nodebuildgo.DetectedStepsByModuleArtifactKey(e.Module, name), Fingerprint: e.Fp,
-				Fetch: &nodebuildgo.Fetch{Repository: e.Repository, Commit: e.Commit, Dir: e.Path, Paths: namedPaths(e, name)}}
+				Fetch: &nodebuildgo.Fetch{Repository: e.Repository, Commit: e.Commit, Dir: e.Path, Paths: namedPaths(e, name), Packages: maps.Clone(e.Packages)}}
 			ans, err := steps(ctx, seat, in)
 			switch {
 			case err != nil:
@@ -124,27 +124,20 @@ func (ix *Indexer) stepsFindings(ctx context.Context, answered map[string]bool,
 	if ix.Findings == nil {
 		return
 	}
-	ix.mu.Lock()
-	if ix.stepsSince == nil {
-		ix.stepsSince = map[string]time.Time{}
-	}
 	now := ix.now()
 	var raise []string
+	since := map[string]time.Time{}
 	for seat := range unanswered {
-		if _, ok := ix.stepsSince[seat]; !ok {
-			ix.stepsSince[seat] = now
-		}
-		if now.Sub(ix.stepsSince[seat]) >= mcc.CallUnansweredAfter {
+		since[seat] = ix.stepsUnansweredSince(ctx, seat, now)
+		if now.Sub(since[seat]) >= mcc.CallUnansweredAfter {
 			raise = append(raise, seat)
 		}
 	}
 	for seat := range answered {
 		if _, bad := unanswered[seat]; !bad {
-			delete(ix.stepsSince, seat)
+			ix.stepsAnswered(ctx, seat)
 		}
 	}
-	since := maps.Clone(ix.stepsSince)
-	ix.mu.Unlock()
 	for _, seat := range slices.Sorted(slices.Values(raise)) {
 		id := seat + "." + StepsVerb
 		f := ix.observed(mcc.ScopeCall, id, mcc.KindCallUnanswered,
@@ -176,3 +169,50 @@ func namedPaths(e meshcatalog.CatalogEntry, name string) []string {
 	}
 	return e.Inputs.Paths[ArtifactRefOf(e.Module, name)]
 }
+
+// StepsSincePrefix opens the keys of the own-build state (OwnBuildState) that keep, by build seat, since when its steps
+// has not answered (design 47 G A-66): a restart keeps the time, and the finding is written at the next seed attempt past
+// five minutes.
+const StepsSincePrefix = "steps-since."
+
+// stepsUnansweredSince is the time the seat first failed to answer, kept in the indexer's own state; the first failure
+// writes now. Where no state is kept it is held in memory.
+func (ix *Indexer) stepsUnansweredSince(ctx context.Context, seat string, now time.Time) time.Time {
+	if ix.OwnBuildState == nil {
+		ix.mu.Lock()
+		defer ix.mu.Unlock()
+		if ix.stepsSince == nil {
+			ix.stepsSince = map[string]time.Time{}
+		}
+		if _, ok := ix.stepsSince[seat]; !ok {
+			ix.stepsSince[seat] = now
+		}
+		return ix.stepsSince[seat]
+	}
+	key := StepsSincePrefix + seat
+	if v, _, found, err := ix.OwnBuildState.Get(ctx, key); err == nil && found {
+		if t, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, string(v)); err == nil {
+			return t
+		}
+	}
+	if err := ix.OwnBuildState.Create(ctx, key, []byte(now.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano))); err != nil {
+		ix.logf("seed: the time since %s.%s is unanswered is not kept: %v", seat, StepsVerb, err)
+	}
+	return now
+}
+
+// stepsAnswered forgets the time a seat that answers was unanswered since.
+func (ix *Indexer) stepsAnswered(ctx context.Context, seat string) {
+	if ix.OwnBuildState == nil {
+		ix.mu.Lock()
+		delete(ix.stepsSince, seat)
+		ix.mu.Unlock()
+		return
+	}
+	key := StepsSincePrefix + seat
+	if _, rev, found, err := ix.OwnBuildState.Get(ctx, key); err == nil && found {
+		if err := ix.OwnBuildState.Delete(ctx, key, rev); err != nil {
+			ix.logf("seed: the time since %s.%s is unanswered is not forgotten: %v", seat, StepsVerb, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps_test.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps_test.go
index 849994c5..f6c14b0e 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/seed_steps_test.go
@@ -20,10 +20,11 @@ func TestTheSeedAsksStepsOfTheBuildSeatsOfTheTrunkEntries(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	now := time.Date(2026, 11, 1, 3, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
 	w := newFindings()
-	ix := &Indexer{Findings: w, Revisions: newMemObjects(1 << 20), Now: func() time.Time { return now }}
+	ix := &Indexer{Findings: w, OwnBuildState: newMem(), Revisions: newMemObjects(1 << 20), Now: func() time.Time { return now }}
 	fp := "src2:" + strings.Repeat("a", 64)
 	entries := map[string]meshcatalog.CatalogEntry{"avahi": {Module: "avahi", Repository: "novox/r", Commit: "c1", Path: "mods/avahi", Fp: fp, Manifest: map[string]any{},
 		Artifacts: []meshcatalog.Artifact{{Ref: "avahi:program", Language: "go"}, {Ref: "avahi:image", Language: "go", Kind: "image"}},
+		Packages:  map[string]string{"git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk": "c9"},
 		Inputs:    &meshcatalog.EntryInputs{Paths: map[string][]string{"program": {"cmd"}}}}}
 	rev, objects, err := CatalogRevisionOf(meshcatalog.CatalogRevision{Revision: 3, Kind: "trunk"}, entries)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -70,13 +71,14 @@ func TestTheSeedAsksStepsOfTheBuildSeatsOfTheTrunkEntries(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("the image artifact is %+v", a)
 	}
 	in := got[0]
-	if in.Module != "avahi" || in.Artifact != "avahi.program" || in.Fingerprint != fp || in.Fetch == nil || in.Fetch.Repository != "novox/r" || in.Fetch.Commit != "c1" || in.Fetch.Dir != "mods/avahi" || len(in.Fetch.Paths) != 1 {
+	if in.Module != "avahi" || in.Artifact != "avahi.program" || in.Fingerprint != fp || in.Fetch == nil || in.Fetch.Repository != "novox/r" || in.Fetch.Commit != "c1" || in.Fetch.Dir != "mods/avahi" || len(in.Fetch.Paths) != 1 || in.Fetch.Packages["git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk"] != "c9" {
 		t.Errorf("the steps input is %+v", in)
 	}
 	if len(w.Held()) != 0 {
 		t.Fatal("a call unanswered for no time wrote its finding")
 	}
 	now = now.Add(5 * time.Minute)
+	ix = &Indexer{Findings: w, OwnBuildState: ix.OwnBuildState, Revisions: ix.Revisions, Now: func() time.Time { return now }} // a restart keeps the time
 	if _, err := ix.SeedModulesFrom(ctx, defs, call); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}